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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 LAGOS 000386 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA 
STATE PASS NSC FOR BOBBY PITTMAN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/25/2016 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PM EPET ECON KDEM NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: AMBASSADOR HEARS BAYELSA GOVERNOR'S VIEWS 
ON COMBATING MILITANCY IN HIS STATE AND ON THE NEW NIGER 
DELTA MINISTRY AND TECHNICAL COMMMITTEE 
 
REF: ABUJA 1898 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR ROBIN R. SANDERS FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: Ambassador led an interagency team to Bayelsa 
September 27 for a one-day orientation trip to look at 
possible partnerships through a pilot program that would 
focus on youth needs and development (see septel on these 
issues), but also had the opportunity, on the three hour 
drive from Warri in Delta State to Bayelsa,s capital 
Yenagoa, to have a one-on-one with Governor Timipre Silva on 
current militancy and security issues in his state.  Silva 
highlighted his safe haven efforts on behalf of militant 
leader Joshua MacGyver because of the latter,s assistance to 
the Nigerian Joint Military Task Force (JTF) on locating 
other militant camps, particularly those of militant leader 
"Boyloaf" and his 600-strong followers.  Silva also noted 
that he had two recent meetings with President Yar,Adua 
September 19 and 24, in which the latter said he was 
considering a restructuring proposal that would offer the 
Niger Delta conflict states equity shares in the Nigerian 
National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).  Silva also said that 
he raised with Yar,Adua the possibility of providing amnesty 
to MacGyver since he was giving accurate intelligence to the 
JTF on militant locations; Yar,Adua reportedly supported 
this idea. The Bayelsa Governor also noted that the new Chief 
of Defense Staff (CDS), General Dike, had just been in 
Bayelsa and met with him as well as MacGyver.  The Governor 
emphasized that he, as well as his counterparts in Rivers and 
Delta States, were extremely pleased with "the new direction 
and commitment to do the right thing on the Niger Delta (ND) 
by Yar,Adua, particularly as regards to the ND Ministry, and 
technical committee, as well as he willingness to listen, 
respond, seek their advice, and hold meetings with them." 
End Summary. 
 
¶2. (C) During the Ambassador and the U.S. Mission,s 
Interagency/section team visit (DoD/OSC, USAID, and Lagos 
POL-ECON and PAS) to Bayelsa on September 27 to examine ways 
for project and program development in the areas of 
agriculture, education and youth conflict management, she had 
an opportunity to hear the Governor,s views on how he is 
addressing militancy and security in his state, a readout 
from his recent meetings with President Yar,Adua on Niger 
Delta (ND) issues, as well as about his work on fiscal 
responsibility and anti-corruption (for the latter two points 
and development issues see septel).  This sidebar discussion 
with the Governor on militancy and more details on the 
security situation took place on the three hour drive from 
Warri, capital of Delta State, to Bayelsa,s capital, 
Yenagoa. Office of Security Cooperation Chief and USAID 
Mission Director were also in the van. 
 
¶3.  (C)  On the militancy and security issues, Governor Silva 
highlighted his work and that of the JTF with militant leader 
Joshua MacGyver to ferret out militant leaders such as 
"Boyloaf" and others.  "MacGyver is supplying useful 
intelligence to the JTF and has been helpful thus far in 
destroying some key militant locations," Silva explained.  He 
added that since early August he has been providing safe 
haven support to MacGyver since many of his former militant 
colleagues are after him for supporting the JTF.  The 
Governor noted that he moved MacGyver around several times a 
day for his protection, including at times in and out of his 
Governor,s Mansion.  Ambassador asked what made MacGyver 
decide to come in from the cold as a militant. Silva said 
that MacGyver had a secondary education, was about 22 years 
old and had explained to the Governor he "was tired of the 
life and hoped that he could continue his education and 
pursue his desire to become a lawyer."   The Bayelsa Governor 
added that there was not "really much for the militants to do 
with the money they earned from bunkering, etc., because they 
could not go anywhere to spend it, and only reaped the 
limited benefits it provided to them within the areas of the 
creeks," he concluded.  Silva said that he supported having 
MacGyver granted amnesty since he was providing good 
intelligence to the JTF, and had raised this issue with 
President Yar,Adua in his last meeting with him on September  
 
¶24.  In retaliation, "Boyloaf" had attacked MacGyver,s old 
camp, but there were only a few followers who had remained 
there. (Note: Later in the day, Ambassador and OSC Chief had 
the opportunity to be introduced to Bayelsa State JTF 
Commander Musa, and the District Head of the State Security 
Service (SSS) at the Governor,s Mansion.  We also note in a 
September 24 meeting between Ambassador and Delta State 
traditional leader and statesmen Chief E.K. Clark, the latter 
claimed that he had submitted a list of militants to 
Yar,Adua to also consider for amnesty. End note). 
 
¶4. (C) Overall, Silva said, he supported amnesty because this 
was the best vehicle to separate militants from criminals. 
"Anyone left out after the amnesty and still engaged in 
violence would and could be viewed as a criminal and we would 
go after them in a law enforcement capacity," he concluded. 
"If there is some sort of amnesty given to militants with 
real political and development issues, then those that remain 
outside of this framework are the criminals, and they can be 
dealt with in a comprehensive law enforcement strategy that 
would have to encompass all three conflict-prone Delta Region 
states at one time.  Right now," he continued, "there is a 
piecemeal approach which allows both militants and criminals 
to move from state-to-state when the pressure gets too much 
in one state in the Region," he summarized. 
 
¶5. (C) Ambassador then asked Silva how well he knew 
"Boyloaf"; he said fairly well, and that he was committed to 
working with the JTF to catch him, adding that "we are 
eventually going to get him."  The Governor added that 
"Boyloaf" was not educated, is about 34-35 years old, and is 
known to have about 600 men who move between Rivers and 
Bayelsa.  He noted that the new Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) 
Dike had been in Bayelsa and Rivers earlier in the week and 
that he had a good feeling about him and his commitment to do 
"the right thing in the Delta Region."  Silva explained that 
General Dike was from the Asaba area of Delta State (its 
capital), but in his view more ethnically an Igbo, although 
he admitted those in the Asaba area do ot consider 
themselves Igbo.  The Governor also said that Dike had an 
opportunity to meet MacGyver while he was in Bayelsa.  In his 
meeting with the CDS, Silva claimed that he told General Dike 
that the JTF needed a more comprehensive tri-State strategy 
in order to "prevent the militants from moving from 
state-to-state in the Delta Region when military pressure was 
put on them in only one state at a time."  He added that he 
disagreed with Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, whose 
position is to bomb the militants, because in his view this 
was causing too much collateral damage, which in the end 
gains the militants more support. In most cases the militants 
use the communities as shields from the JTF, he stated. 
 
¶6.  (C)  Ambassador asked about militant leader Henry Okah as 
she had been hearing that he was ill with kidney disease. 
The Bayelsa Governor said he had heard this also and that 
Okah was very ill, but had "mixed views" on Okah because he 
blamed him for what he had done to the Delta Region by 
playing a key role in bringing arms into the region in the 
first place, which in his view was the crux of the current 
problems in Bayelsa, Rivers, and Delta States as regards to 
both militancy and criminality. (Note: Ambassador had heard 
that Okah would be moved to an SSS site in Jos and given 
medical treatment to address problems with his kidney disease 
in the next couple of weeks. End note). 
 
¶7. (C) Silva took time to recount additional points from a 
September 19 meeting with President Yar,Adua on which he had 
already briefed the Ambassador (reftel) and his views on the 
establishment of a Niger Delta (ND) Ministry and technical 
committee.  In addition to pushing his slate of candidates 
for the new Minister position with the strong caveat that the 
person must come from the Delta Region, Silva said that his 
other criteria included that the person had to be respected, 
a good manager, and maybe even a technocrat.  Ambassador 
noted that she had heard from other contacts that the senior 
government leadership wanted and was looking for someone from 
the region for the job, and at one time had heard Ibori,s 
name mentioned as being on a short list. Silva said that 
although Yar,Adua did not show his hand on who was his top 
choice or on his short list, he had not heard that the 
government was seriously considering someone like Ibori as 
this would be suicide and a real disappointment. She then 
asked Governor Silva his views on the new ND technical 
committee, and how well he knew the new chairperson Ledum 
Mittee, noting that she would be meeting him on September 30. 
 The Governor said he knew Mittee but not well, but was 
pleased that the latter had reached out and asked each 
governor of the five Delta Region States to submit 2-3 names 
of individuals that they would want to serve on the 
committee. 
 
¶8. (C) Silva then underscored that he was pleased with the 
"new direction of Yar,Adua on the Niger Delta (ND)," and 
that he was pleased that the President had finally decided to 
personally take control of the ND issue and take it out of 
the hands of VP Jonathan,s office, showing some leadership 
in this area.  In addition, the new ND Ministry provides the 
Delta Region "for the first time, a seat at the table, at the 
Federal Executive Council (FEC), and gives us the best hope 
in a long time that there might be real progress on ND 
issues," he concluded.  "People are tired of the insecurity 
and lack of development and many of the boys (meaning 
militants) want a new and different kind of life. We need to 
work with them and encourage them to come out of the creeks, 
and separate the militant issue from the criminal issue," he 
summed up. 
 
¶9. (C) In wrapping up before we reached Bayelsa,s capital 
Yenagoa, Governor Silva said that President Yar,Adua had 
also shared his current thinking as regards to restructuring 
the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC.  He said that 
the Nigerian President was considering a proposal that would 
given the three conflict Niger Delta states equity in NNPC, 
but had to work with the Governors on what percentages of 
equity shares would be fair. Silva said he told the Nigerian 
President that he liked the idea of equity shares from NNPC 
and supported this approach.  The Ambassador suggested that 
in these discussions that it might be useful to look at 
models and best practices on the development of any kind of 
equity share program before pursuing this path to ensure that 
it is done in a fair and transparent manner.  Ambassador 
briefly asked, as the road trip was coming to a close, what 
Silva thought should be done with the Niger Delta Development 
Corporation (NDDC) since it had not done an effective job on 
development in the region, in addition to problems with 
transparency and corruption. Silva concluded that NDDC should 
be brought under the new Niger Delta Ministry as an agency 
instead of a parastatal. 
 
¶10. (C)  Comment:  The three hour drive to Yenagoa proved 
useful and informative as Silva shared his current thinking 
and actions on security in his state and his work with the 
JTF to ferret out militants and criminals. He also provided 
the first news we have heard on what Yar,Adua is thinking as 
regards to restructuring NNPC, particularly the idea of an 
NNPC equity share program for Bayelsa, Rivers, and Delta 
States.  Meanwhile, the Presidential Villa is being 
tight-lipped about its short list for Minister of the Niger 
Delta and speculation remains that the new government will be 
announced sometime soon after Nigeria,s October 1 
Independence Day celebrations. We have heard names ranging 
from ex-governor Ibori to others as those being considered, 
but lately we have not heard any front runner,s name. If the 
government was considering Ibori for the job at anytime as 
reported on Internet blogs and elsewhere, it does not appear 
to be the case now. We raised our concern about the Ibori 
possibility for this position as did the UK, according to its 
High Commissioner. The Niger Delta technical committee seems 
to be moving forward, and Ambassador will meet with the 
Committee Chair September 30. 
 
¶11. (U) This cable was drafted in Abuja. 
 
 
 
BLAIR